


tell me you're okay

by vaahtokarkki



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26588527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaahtokarkki/pseuds/vaahtokarkki
Summary: Just before getting on stage for a play, Wataru receives some distressing news.
Relationships: Hibiki Wataru/Sakuma Rei
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	tell me you're okay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PirateShrimp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PirateShrimp/gifts).



> this fic was written for my friend shrimp earlier this year! <3
> 
> the injuries in the fic aren't descriptive. also, I suppose it's an AU where wataru only pursues theatre after graduation...? ALSO I wrote this months ago so I hope there's no mistakes rip

Today’s only performance is a matinee. There’s a special magic to evening performances, but matinees have a lot of children, often from school groups – and the joy in their eyes when they watch the stage is unparalleled.

They have a lot of children today too, Wataru thinks. He can already hear the joyful shouts and giggles. There’s still time until the performance but Wataru is ready as ever.

”Feeling nervous?”

Wataru turns around to see Hokuto’s grandmother. She tries to catch Wataru on stage as often as she can. Normally guests wouldn’t be allowed backstage before a performance, but this lady is special.

”Not at all!” Wataru replies. He bows down and takes her hand to kiss the back of it. ”You should know as much, Mrs. Hidaka. It’s a pleasure to see you here.”

”Oh, I never know about you young men!” Mrs. Hidaka beams. ”You have not had time for tea in weeks, so I could only assume what the reason was.”

”Not the nerves, I assure you! I’ve merely focused on the play.”

”Just teasing, darling”, Mrs. Hidaka laughs softly. ”We’ll catch up properly when all the performances are over.”

They chat for a bit – about this and that, idle conversation about what they both have been up to. A moment before Mrs. Hidaka has to leave backstage and get into the audience, she pulls out her phone.

”By the way, by the way… I saw this article today. You went to Yumenosaki together, didn’t you? With Sakuma?”

There’s a tabloid article open on the phone and Wataru nearly bursts into laughter. Has Rei gotten himself mixed up in a scandal? It’s very unlike him –

”Huh?”

The word _hospital_ glares up at him from the headline, next to the words _leader_ and _UNDEAD_. Wataru furiously scrolls down to the article itself.

_After a concert of the immensely popular idol group UNDEAD, their leader Rei Sakuma was rushed to a hospital. According to…_

”Quite a terrible thing, isn’t it? But you young people are so durable, surely he’ll be fine!”

”Surely!” Wataru says, unflinching.

_Surely_ isn’t good enough. _Surely_ means you have hope but no information. But Wataru grounds himself by focusing on the ongoing laughter of children in the distance, using years and years of experience to suppress his emotions.

After he bids goodbye to Mrs. Hidaka but before he leaves his phone behind he pops a message to Kaoru; _Which hospital?_

And then he collects himself, puts on the glasses he wears for the play, and takes a deep breath.

He’s a damn good actor and he has a job to do.

* * *

After the play is over the actors stay to chat with the children. With incredible determination Wataru pushes off all thoughts of Rei until his duties are done, and only once he’s backstage he rushes off to find his phone.

Kaoru has replied with the name of the hospital and Wataru calculates the fastest route there while changing his clothes. In his message Kaoru also promises he’ll tell them to let Wataru in and Wataru crafts a _thank-you_ message in his head while running towards the nearest underground station. But after actually sending the message all Wataru has for the rest of the journey are his thoughts. Now that he’s off work they’re impossible to shut out.

The tabloid didn’t specify why Rei was taken to a hospital, or how serious it was. So what if… it could be anything… an injury, a surfacing illness…

All kinds of terrible images go through Wataru’s head and he’s powerless to stop them. What if it _is_ serious? What will they do? What will Wataru do? He always thought there’s time, that the conversations they never had can wait a day more, a month or a _year_ more… And after they both got too busy to even see each other anymore, Wataru still thought the things he wanted to say can wait until a better time.

But what if there’s no more time?

Wataru’s feet feel heavy when he exits the underground. The spiral of his thoughts has made him dizzy but he must press on, must see Rei. Reaching the hospital is of little comfort but at least now he can direct his thoughts elsewhere.

Kaoru kept his promise; after proving his identity, Wataru is escorted to Rei’s room. As soon as the door is opened for him, Wataru rushes to Rei’s bedside.

”Rei, Rei”, Wataru kneels down beside the bed. ”Rei, can you hear me?”

Relief rushes through Wataru’s every cell when Rei opens his eyes.

”Whaaa…?” Rei’s voice is groggy.

”Oh, Rei.” Wataru lays his hands on Rei’s cheeks and looks him over for injuries, any signs of what could be wrong with him. ”How bad is it? I came as soon as I heard.”

”Wataru?” Rei blinks. ”How bad is what?”

The feeling is sudden, the tightening of his throat and the stinging in his eyes. Wataru bursts into tears like a dam breaks – it’s a sudden flood, a surprise even to himself. One second there’s nothing and the next he’s crying a stream of hot tears.

”Wataru?!” Rei says, alarmed. He sits up and grabs Wataru’s hand.

”I – I – I…” Wataru hiccups, trying to start the sentence. ”I don’t know what I’d do if – if you – Rei, when I heard you’d been taken to a hospital, I…”

”It’s okay”, Rei takes his other hand as well. ”It’s fine, I’m fine. I don’t know what you heard but it wasn’t serious.”

”Not serious?” Wataru breathes. He’s so shocked the tears stop, like magic. ”But you had to be taken to a hospital… I thought maybe there was an accident, or…”

Or worse. Wataru can’t fully believe that word, _fine,_ when Rei is lying in a hospital bed.

Although he spent quite a time in one back at high school. But this is different. This is…

”There was no accident.” Rei shakes his head minutely. ”I… fainted after the show was over. People didn’t actually see it… but apparently word got out anyway.”

”I read it in a tabloid”, Wataru sniffs. ”Mrs. Hidaka showed me and…” He looks down and closes his eyes to collect himself. It’s difficult. ”…You’re okay? You’re really okay?”

When he looks back up, something has softened in Rei’s eyes. He lifts his hands to cup Wataru’s face and trace his fingers across Wataru’s cheeks.

”The first time I saw you cry I swore to myself I’d never let it happen again… and now I’m the cause.”

”Well, that was a long time ago.” Wataru tries to huff but it comes out as a wet snort instead.

”Maybe it was. Wataru, I’m okay. Really.”

Wataru leans into Rei’s touch, sighing as he closes his eyes once more. He remembers moments like this in high school, moments of tenderness and care. The only moments in high school when he would _truly_ be comfortable letting his guard down… of course, those were a long time ago too.

”A tabloid”, Wataru mutters. ”I read it in a tabloid. Have we drifted this far apart…?”

”If it was something serious, I would have…” Rei’s voice trails off. They both know he can’t finish that sentence in good conscience. It’s been more than a year since they even saw each other.

”What if something serious _did_ happen? The thought of reading it from the news or a… a tabloid, it’s…”

Wataru is unable to open his eyes but he feels Rei lean closer.

”What are you saying?” Rei’s voice is low and quiet.

”It’s…” Wataru swallows hard. He knows what he needs to say – it’s just so damn difficult. He’s never really learned how to be completely honest with someone, even Rei. Especially Rei, in some ways. ”If you were to… all the things I wanted to…”

”Take your time.” Rei’s soothing words are the only thing grounding Wataru, and he continues with more purpose.

”I thought about it when I was rushing here. It’s like… you know when in movies there’s a scene where someone’s dying, and they or the person they love make a tearful confession, and they always say, _I should’ve told you sooner?”_ Wataru draws in air, a shuddering breath. ”It’s like that. Or not. I don’t _want_ to be like that. Not with you.”

Rei’s fingers twitch against Wataru’s face, a telltale sign of lost composure along with a sharp inhale.

”I thought you had reasons to not bring this up”, Rei says softly. Wataru shakes his head lightly.

”That was then. This is now. I don’t want to hide it anymore.”

Rei doesn’t reply immediately, but he begins to rub his thumbs across Wataru’s cheeks.

”You’re certain?” he finally asks.

There’s always been an unspoken agreement about not bringing up feelings, ever since high school. Many things may have changed since then, but the agreement remained. And yet now Wataru has broken it in the most straightforward way possible.

He finally opens his eyes to look at Rei, whose gaze doesn’t shy away. Wataru takes both of Rei’s hands in his and inhales.

”I’m certain.”

Rei smiles gently, his shoulders relaxing.

”I’ll never make you cry again”, he promises.

”Then you should never be in danger”, Wataru replies.

Rei stares at him for a while and then, without warning, breaks into laughter.

”You will have to protect me”, Rei teases. ”From all the dangers.”

”I was serious!” Wataru huffs. ”I will! Just watch me! This Wataru Hibiki will make sure –”

”None of that”, Rei interrupts. ”You’re just Wataru to me. Wa~ta~ru.”

Somehow, his name has never sounded sweeter. Wataru nods breathlessly.

”Now, what time is it?” Rei asks.

What time…? Confused, Wataru takes out his phone.

”Five minutes until four”, he says. ”Why?”

”If you are going to kiss me, do it fast”, Rei replies. ”The boys should be coming to visit around four.”

Wataru doesn’t need to be told twice.


End file.
